CWA 1180 - News

Arbitrator backs 1180 in “experience differential” grievance
November 2003

In an important union victory, an arbitrator for the City’s Office of Collective Bargaining has decided in favor of the union in a grievance concerning the experience differential members earn after five years at an assignment level. The ruling affects members in all titles with levels who receive experience differentials and are promoted to a higher level.

At issue was whether or not 1180 member Dorothy Matthews, now retired, was entitled to continue receiving the experience differential in calculating her salary increase after she was promoted from a PAAII to a PAA III. The City believed that the experience differential was not part of her base salary and therefore did not use it when calculating her increase, in effect cutting her pay while giving her a promotion. The union argued that the differential is part of the salary “base” and therefore cannot be lost with a promotion.

The arbitrator’s Aug. 25th decision benefits members whose salary at a lower level is close to the salary they receive when they are promoted to a higher level. The findings set an important precedent for the union and, while it may not mean a lot of money, every dollar counts.

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